How to pre-sell software before it's built

Pre-selling software means getting customers to commit money before the product is finished. Done well, it proves demand, pays for early development and gives you a group of customers who want you to succeed. Done badly, it leaves you owing a half-built product to people who've run out of patience.

What to sell

Sell access, not a promise. The usual offer for pre-launch software is a lifetime deal: one payment for lifetime access to a defined plan. It's easy to explain and rewards people for being early.

Write down exactly what the deal includes: the plan, the main features, any usage limits, and what lifetime means (for as long as you offer the product).

How to price it

Low enough that your early believers can say yes without a long think, high enough that a yes means something. On Day Zero every lifetime deal is $10–$150. More in how to price a lifetime deal.

How to take the money

There are three ways:

• Charge now, with a payment link or a pre-order on your own store. Simple, but you hold money for a product that doesn't exist yet and owe refunds if it never does.
• Crowdfunding that charges when the campaign ends. Better, but backers still pay months before they can use anything.
• Pledges charged when the product is usable. Backers commit now and pay once they can use it. This is how Day Zero works.

Make it all or nothing

Set a goal. If you sell 3 seats out of 100, you don't want to owe a product to 3 people. All or nothing means nobody pays unless enough people commit, which also gives each backer more confidence.

Set a date and keep backers updated

Give a date for when access opens, and post an update every month until then. Silence is what makes backers nervous, more than a delay they were told about.

Pre-selling on Day Zero

• Free to list. Show a prototype, a Figma mockup, or a public GitHub repo or landing page, plus a short product video.
• Choose 10 to 100 founding seats at $10–$150. The goal is half the seats.
• The campaign is open for a week. Backers pledge, and their cards are saved, not charged.
• If the goal is reached, backers are charged when you open access, which is due within 90 days after the campaign ends. If access isn't open by then, the campaign is cancelled and nobody is charged.
• You're paid the price minus card processing (4% + $0.40) and a 7% Day Zero margin, or a 0% margin on sales from your own link or widget, in the next weekly payout. See pricing.
• Backers activate their seat in your app through a licensing API with the same shape as AppSumo Licensing v2, so an existing AppSumo integration carries over. See the integration guide.

Every founder verifies their identity with a government ID and a selfie before seats go on sale, and every listing is reviewed by hand.